As SEO guru’s, our avatar photo becomes both our namesake and logo so to speak. Just skimming down the pages of Digg, Sphinn, and other various social networks, we can reconize users that we’ve seen in the community previously.
It’s not specifically their face we are recognizing, but rather a snap shot of the time the picture was taken. Let me explain a little further:
A logo has a specific design and elements to it that allow us to easily reconize it’s brand. Logo’s are rarely changed.
A avatar (or user picture) does the same thing, but if the image is changed, could cause confusion to the viewer. How one’s avatar looks in one photo from the other, could cause your credibility to drop and your branding to be weakened.
There are a lot of top dogs that can get away with changing their photo often (such as Matt Cutts), but the newer little guy can be diminished.
You guys may think I’m pulling the BS card on you, but there are many social networks that avoid using user names next to friends; such at Twitter. A name to a face does not always apply.
So all I’m saying is, for both clients and yourself, try to use a avatar that will not be soon outdated nor will need constant updating.
This is something I should have learned a long time ago.
